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Alex was an African gray parrot. He had a loving relationship with his human, Irene Pepperberg. In 2007, when he died, his last words to Pepperberg were, “You be good. I love you.”
Tommy the dog went to mass with his human when she was alive, but now he comes down and sits quietly during mass even after her death. The story of Tommy finding comfort in church was so powerful, it even attracted the attention of CNN. Your dog may not be your whole world, but you are your dog’s whole world.
When he was 3, Roscoe the orangutan was heartbroken by the loss of his parents. He stopped eating and was not responding to medical treatment. He had given up on life. At the same time, an older, sickly dog was found in the zoo and brought to their animal treatment center. The two met and have been inseparable ever since.
Diver Yang Yun thought she was going to die when her legs were paralyzed during a free diving contest. When she tried to kick to the surface, she found her legs crippled from the water’s arctic temperature. Mila, a Beluga whale, saw her struggling and used her nose to guide Yun to safety.
Patricia Adshead was making tea in her kitchen when a machete gang broke in. Her ex-husband rushed to help, but one of the gang members slashed through his hand. She was trapped in the kitchen with Oi and one of the men. Oi leapt to her defense and bit the attacker’s hand. Even when he brought the weapon down on her, Oi managed to chase him out of the house, saving Adshead.
When author and legendary conservationist Lawrence Anthony died, these South African elephants marched for 2 hours through the Zululand bush until they reached his house. These elephants had been saved by Anthony years ago, after they were deemed violent and sentenced to death. Anthony rehabilitated the animals and gave them a chance at a better life.
Lisha has been a surrogate mother to many orphaned animals, all different species than her own. She has helped raised more than 30 baby animals. She teaches each of her adopted babies how to survive.
These children were playing with George, a Jack Russell Terrier, when Pit Bulls attacked. He tried to protect the kids by barking and rushing at the other dogs, but they started biting him on the head and back. His intervention is what saved the children, though he later died due to his injuries. He was posthumously awarded a medal for his bravery.
Salty and Roselle were awarded a joint Dickin Medal for their loyalty to their owners. They stuck by them and led them to safety following the terrorist attack on New York on September 11, 2001.
When Ellie, a blind spaniel, was adopted her new human never expected her other dog, Leo, would take on the duty of being Ellie’s seeing-eye dog. When they go to the park, Leo will guide Ellie around, protecting her from rowdier dogs.
A professional diver caught this image of a fish smashing a clam against a rock in order to get its innards. It was frustrated with the normal way to eat a clam, so it came up with an easier way.
Scientist Krista McLennan said, “When heifers have their preferred partner with them, their stress levels in terms of their heart rates are reduced compared with if they were with a random individual.”
Every year, Gandolf the owl would lay an egg and wait for it to hatch, but it never would. One day, she was given a goose egg, and it was a perfect match. Most owls would immediately kill any newborn that did not look, smell, or feel like their own species, but Gandolf did not. She cared for the baby goose as if it was her own.
When Dorothy the chimp died of heart failure at the Chimpanzee Rescue Center in Cameroon, her fellow chimps hugged each other and watched solemnly as their friend was laid to rest.
Oscar was always able to tell when one of the residents in his nursing home was close to death. He would sit with them on their bed during their last moments to comfort them.
In the wild, these two would be top competitors for food, but instead they have been best friends since infancy. The two live at Pet Porpoise Pool Marine Park in Coffs Harbour, Australia and are inseparable. Nothing makes them happier than playing together.
Molly Badham and Nathan Evans founded a sanctuary for monkeys. It is now one of the largest areas dedicated to primates in the world. They’ve gotten help caring for the primates from a unexpected breed…Great Danes! They have proved to be gentle giants that are wonderful caregivers for orphaned monkeys.
Hanama is the proud father of abandoned lion and tiger cubs. He helps feed these fuzzy cubs, becoming a rather unnatural babysitter for them, until they are able to take care of themselves.
Caught in a housefire, this mother and her pups were saved by this wonderful firefighter. A photographer spotted the firefighter resting after his last trip inside the burning house, while the mother dog approached him. The photographer picked up their camera just in time to capture this beautiful shot.
